Description
The Kassis Family collection documents the family and their Sacramento-area businesses. The family is best known for starting
the Stop-N-Shop chain of grocery stores and Arden Fair Mall. Material dates from 1902 to 2003 and includes operational and
administrative records, financial records, legal documents, photographs, promotional material, and personal papers.
Background
The Kassis Family is best known in Sacramento for operating the Stop-N-Shop chain of grocery stores. A. G. Kassis, a Lebanese
immigrant, married Maggie Shikan on September 15, 1906. They had five sons: Frank, Lewis (Lou), Eddie, John, and Walter. The
family came to Sacramento in the 1920s, and in 1928, A. G. and his sons opened a watermelon stand at 28th and Broadway. The
business grew and quickly developed into the Stop-N-Shop grocery store. The family opened more stores in the following decades,
and the chain grew to 12 stores. All of the sons, except John who became a doctor, were involved in the operations of the
Stop-N-Shop stores. The Kassis brothers also became interested in other real estate and commercial development. Their most
successful foray into other businesses was the creation of the Arden Fair Mall.
Extent
7.83 linear feet (5 cartons, 1 newspaper box, 2 film reels)
Restrictions
All requests to publish or quote from private manuscripts held by the Center for Sacramento History (CSH) must be submitted
in writing to csh@cityofsacramento.org. Permission for publication is given on behalf of CSH as the owner of the physical
items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the patron.
No permission is necessary to publish or quote from public records.
Availability
Collection is open for research use.